(a) Compare and evaluate the similarities and differences between the theory of constraints and assembly line balancing (resource balancing).

(b) The processing times and due dates for 6 jobs waiting to be processed are shown below. As operations manager you need to know what sequence of jobs will best meet targets for the dependency factor (in terms of the performance objectives). Use the First-in-First-out, Due Date and Shortest Operating Time approaches to calculate the average days late, and thereby suggest the approach that will yield the best option to meet dependency factor targets.

Activity A Processing time (days) 2 Due date 7 B 8 16 4 4 D 10 17 E 5 15 F 12 18